A Story
by the Perpetual Storyteller
Summary: A story of what the first flight of the Tallgeese might have been.


A STORY  
  
"Missiles inbound! Count five! Twelve o'clock high!"  
  
The captain swore. They're all over us! she thought. "Take evasive action! Deploy decoys!"  
  
"Deployed!" shouted the arms officer. There was a moment of total silence, save for the hum of the ships engines. Then all at once, the bridge lurched to one side as several explosions went off nearby. The captain barely flinched, her strong body absorbing the shock of the explosions as it had countless times before.  
  
"Damage report!" she barked.  
  
"Engines 1 and 2 are down! Fighter bay disabled!" another officer shouted.  
  
"Looks like we'll get to try out your new toy after all," she said, a thin smile tracing the corners of her mouth. She turned to a boy casually leaning against a nearby bulkhead. "Are you ready?"  
  
He looked up, revealing his icy blue eyes. In a calm voice he replied, "I was born ready."  
  
Her smile grew larger. "Good. Then get into that thing and take it to them."  
  
He straightened up and saluted. "Yes, Ma'am!"  
  
***  
  
"This is too easy!" shouted the pirate captain. "Why aren't they fighting back?"  
  
"Their fighter bay was knocked out," said his first officer, grinning broadly. "They can't fight back."  
  
"Yahoo!!" shouted the captain. "We got a military ship! We finally got one!"  
  
All the crew danced around on the pirate ship's battle bridge joyously as they celebrated their 'victory.' Suddenly, a shout came from the radar guy. "They just fired a huge missile!"  
  
"What? How? We took them out!" screamed the large man, running over to the radar station. "Let me see that!"  
  
He stared at the screen long and hard, and laughed. "That's no missile. It just stopped dead in its tracks. They must be evacuating their ship! It's ours for the taking!"  
  
Another shout rose from the crew, but suddenly the radar guy shouted again. "It's moving again! And.... ITS HEADING RIGHT FOR US!!!!"  
  
"On screen!" shouted the captain, and an image popped up on the main viewer. It was of humanoid shape, with a shield on one arm and a massive howitzer-like gun on the other. It was stark white, except for the red on the crest of its helmet. It was propelled by the engines mounted on it like a backpack.  
  
"What the heck is that?!" shouted the captain. Then, as if answering his question, the thing raised its weapon, aiming it directly at the main exterior camera. There was a flash, and the monitor went blank.  
  
"Send out the fighters! I want that thing DESTROYED!!!"  
  
***  
  
"How does it handle?" rasped an elderly voice over the radio.  
  
"Like a dream," responded the pilot. Suddenly, something lit up on his console and let out a beep. "Fighters! Looks like about twenty of them." He smiled. "Time to see what this baby can do!" He shoved the thrust lever forward, and shot off like a rocket. The young pilot was forced backward into his seat as the G-forces began to build. I really hate this part he thought to himself.  
  
Suddenly, the fighters appeared on his viewscreen. "Bring on the noise!" he shouted.  
  
The first wave of five fighters came at him, their machine guns blazing. In response, the pilot raised the main gun and fired five shots, each of them striking a fighter dead center. One down, four to go he thought. The next wave was using missiles, which, by some quick maneuvering and quicker reflexes, were all avoided. Five more shells, five more splashes. This is too easy again thought the pilot.  
  
The final two waves attacked together, firing all their weapons. The pilot pulled the trigger.... but nothing happened! He was out of shells! He detached the massive firearm and threw it aside. "Switching to beam sabre!" he shouted into his radio.  
  
From behind his sheld he drew a small cylinder, brandishing it like a sword. The fighter pilots were not impressed. Suddenly, a huge scarlet beam erupted from the cylinder, forming a lightsaber like sword. The suit shot forward, slicing two fighters to ribbons and then speeding away before they could even explode. Before they could react, he made sushi of the other attack ships.  
  
"This is the Tallgeese reporting in. All enemies destroyed."  
  
***  
  
(CUT TO 'NEXT EPISODE') 


End file.
